Air conditioning apparatus



June23, 1959 TELL 2, 91,3

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS I Filed July 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l 35 7;: INVENTOR ROBERT H. U,LL

v A TORNEY June 23,1959 H, TULL 2,891,389

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed July 6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR OBERT H. L

ATT NEY June 23, 1959 R. H. TULL 2,891,389

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed July e, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 3 m U 5 VI. 5 8 .l H N 5 T m m m 1 V E a o 0 2a Q 6 N B M o lo 0 0 o M l l R 0 9 w 5 6 x 3 3 Y 2- N 7 .J B 5 "WI P I: III 4 1-1.

T N J 5:: n A f MN m I 3 i 2 A z 2 u E m 2 W 0% ma 3 P! a all mi 3 O "WV" IN 3 K 5 m .\\/7 T M T 5 v. E u l QQQQQQQQQQQQQQ Z @09 09 00 i L V l 4 NO United States Patent" house Electric Corporation, East: Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 6, 1956, Serial No; 596,220

7 Claims. (Cl. 62-298) This invention relates to air conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to window mountedunit type air conditioners of the type employed to cool a room or an oilice;

This invention is particularly concerned with a novel structural arrangement of the several components of the unit which greatly facilitates the manufacture, processing, transporting and servicing of the unit. The principal concept of the invention lies in the location of the air propulsion components of the unit. and most of the electrical components of the unit on a readily removable partition assembly which functions as a. divider between the cool, or room air, section of the unit and the warm, or outside air, section of the unit.

The arrangement contemplated by this invention is such that the refrigerating system of the unit may be manufactured, processed and shipped as a separate unitary assembly. Moreover, and perhaps of more importance, with this invention the air handling components of the unit, including the electrical and mechanical controls therefore, are assembled in a coherent structural unit which may be tested, adjusted and transported or repaired readily and easily apart. from the refrigeration system. The invention is particularly effective in reducing the expense heretofore associated with the replacement of a defective refrigeration system in an installed unit. Because the air handling components and the majority of the electrical components of. the unit may be readily disassociated from the refrigerating system, these items may be replaced in the original unit together with a new refrigeratingsystem, thereby avoiding the expense of shipping these items back to the factory with the defective refrigerating system. The servicing agency is thereby relieved of the expense of maintaining a large inventory of air handling and electrical components.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improvedcomponent arrangement for anair conditioning'unit.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved removable partition structure for unit type air conditioning apparatus A further object of'the invention is the incorporation of the air handling components and controls of a. unit air conditioner into a single readily removable vpartition assembly to enable these components to be separated from the refrigerant system for ease of replacement and repair.

A further object of the invention is a component arrangement for a unit type air conditioner in which the refrigerating system. may be separated from the air handling and electrical control components of the unit to permit the refrigerating system to be processed, transported and repaired independently.

A still further object of the invention is an improved component arrangement for window mounted air conditioning units of the type in which the internal components'of the unit are slidable out of the unit outer casing 2,891,389 Patented June 23, 1959 which is adapted to be fixedly-attached to the window structure.

These and other objects are etfected' by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a window mounted air conditioning unit constructed in accordance with this'invention and from which the cover and decorative grill portions have been removed to show the interior of the unit;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the removable partition assembly of this invention showing the cool, or room air, side of the assembly;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the partition assembly of'this invention showing the warm, or outside air, side of the assembly;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the complete air conditioning unit with the top. removed and portions broken away to illustrate the air flow pattern within the unit;

Fig, 5 is a vertical sectional view of the complete air conditioning unit taken as indicated by the line VV in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an electrical wiring diagram for the air conditioningunit of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates the basic concept of this invention wherein an air conditioning unit is constructed in such a fashion that a removable partition assembly identified generally by the numeral 11 is removable from the mechanical refrigerating system. for the unit. The refrigerating system is carried .by asubstantially fiat tray-like base member 12 and possesses, as its. principal components,v a motor compressor unit 13, a condenser 14 and an evaporator 15. The refrigerating system illustrated is a conventional compressor-condenser-expander type circuit in which the several' components are connected in closed circuit relationship by means of suitable refrigerant tubing. During normal operation the condenser 14 is subjected to a flow of outside air and is therefore positioned adjacent Whatmaybe termed the rear edge of the base member 12'. The evaporator 15 cools inside, or room, air which is circulated thereover and is preferably mounted in the vicinity of the front edge of the base member 12.

In accordance with this invention the usual electrical components associated with the air conditioning unit are carried by the partition assembly 11, but, if desired, certain components essential to the operation of the motor compressor unit 13, such as the starting relay and a protective thermostat, may be mounted directly on the motor compressor as indicated by the box 16. In this location they maybe tested simultaneously with the motor-compressor andrefrigerating circuit with which they are intimately associated.

The removable partition assembly 11 is constructed around a partition 17 preferably fabricated from sheet metal, although other structural materials could, of course, be employed. The partition 17' is adapted to rest on the base member 12 between the condenser 14 and evaporator 15 of the refrigerating system. With the arrangement shown, i.e.v with the condenser 14 disposed adjacent the rear edge of the base member 12 and the evaporator 15, disposed adjacent the front edge of the base member 12,-the partition 17 is disposed in transverse relation to the base member 12 and separates the unit into an outside air section identified by the numeral 18 and a'room air section identified by the numeral 19 (see Figs. '4 and 5). The partition 17 is designed to provide a substantially air-tight separation between the outside air and room air sections. If desired, a strip of mastic sealing material'indicated at 21 may be provided across the base member 12 to seal against the lower edge of the partition 17.

The outside air section 18 and room air section 19 of the unit are both provided with means for circulating air therethrough; the former containing a fan 22 positioned to blow air over the condenser 14, and the latter having a blower 23. Power to rotate the fan 22 and the blower 23 is provided by an electric motor 24. The motor 24 is carried by a generally U-shaped support bracket 26, one upstanding leg of which is fastened by means of welding or otherwise to the outside air side of the partition 17. The fan motor 24 is positioned within the outside air section of the air conditioning unit and one shaft extension 27 thereof drives and supports the condenser fan 22, while an opposite shaft extension 28 thereof extends through the partition 17 and drives and supports the rotor 29 of the blower 23, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5. The scroll shaped housing of the blower 23, indicated at 31, is secured to the room air side of the partition 17 and, in the preferred construction illustrated, the partition 17 constitutes one side wall of the blower housing.

It can, therefore, be seen that the air propelling portions of the air conditioner, that is the fan 22, the blower 23 and the drive motor 24 therefor, are carried by the partition 17 and are removable from the base 12 as a portion of the unitary partition assembly 11.

The partition assembly 11 is removably secured to the base 12 by means of studs 33 which pass through openings 32 in the lower leg of the U-shaped fan motor support 26. Additional securing means, such as the bolt flange indicated at 34 on the lower edge of partition 17, may be provided for holding the partition assembly 11 to the base member 12. Additional support for the partition assembly 11 may be provided by detachably securing the partition 17 to side brackets 35 extending upwardly from the base 12. For this purpose screws or any other fastening means (not shown) could be employed.

In addition to the air propulsion components mentioned previously the partition assembly 11 includes several other components which are secured to the partition 17. Referring specifically to Fig. 2, it will be noted that a forwardly extending shelf member 36 attached to the partition 17 supports a temperature control 37 and an electrical switching and damper control 38. As indicated generally by the electrical wiring shown in Fig. 2, the temperature control 37 and the control 38 are electrically connected to the various components of the air conditioning unit. The other electrical components shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are a choke 39 for the control circuit of fan motor 24, an electrical heater 40, a running condenser 41 for the motor-compressor 13, a starting capacitor 42 for the fan motor 24 and a terminal board 43 through which electrical connections are established for the several components located on opposite sides of the partition 17 The wiring harnesses illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 are intended to be illustrative only and reference will be made later to the control circuit shown in Fig. 6 for a description of the actual wiring connections.

The heater 40 is adapted to heat air passing through the room air side of the unit. This optional feature is provided on some units and, in accordance with this invention, the heater is mounted on the partition assembly 11 and is removable therewith.

In addition to providing control over the electrical circuits of the air conditioner, the control 38 actuates, by means of the mechanical linkages indicated at 44, a pair of dampers identified as 46 and 47 which are adapted to control the flow of air through openings in the partition 17 and provide communication between the room air and outside air sections of the unit. The damper 47 is capable of being opened into the stream of air propelled by the blower 23 to divert room air to the outside air section of the unit to exhaust air from the room being cooled. Damper 46 opens to the intake side of blower 23 and is viewed in Fig. 5).

adapted to permit outside air to be drawn into the room air section of the unit to add fresh air to the room being cooled.

The controls 37 and 38 are manipulated by the user of the air conditioning unit by means of knobs 48 and shafts 49 carried on the base 12 as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The ends of control shafts 49 are equipped with readily detachable connectors 50 to permit the partition assembly 11 with the controls 37 and 38 thereon to be removed from the base member 12.

The partition assembly 11 when assembled to the base member 12 cooperates with the refrigerating system of the unit and directs air flow through the unit as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 4 and 5. During normal cooling operation outside air enters the unit through louvers 51 in the side walls of the unit outer casing 52 for passage through the outside air section 18 of the unit and is propelled by the fan 22 through an opening in a shroud 53 over the condenser 14 and out through the back of the unit casing 52. The room air to be cooled enters the air conditioner through an opening 54 in the lower portion of a decorative front panel 55, passes through the blower 23 and is propelled upwardly thereby and out through the evaporator 15 into the room. Variations in the air flow pattern to effect exhaust of room air and addition of outside air to the room may be effected by the user by manipulation of the control 38. As mentioned previously, control 38 controls the position of the two dampers 46 and 47 carried by the partition assembly 11 to govern the interchange of air between the inside and outside air sections of the unit.

Fig. 6 illustrates diagrammatically the electrical connections between the several components of the air conditioning unit and the relationship between these components and the removable partition assembly of this invention. The dot and dash enclosure of Fig. 6 represents the partition assembly 11; the components enclosed within the left hand section of this enclosure being carried by the room-air side of the partition, and the components within the right hand section of the enclosure being carried on the outside-air side of the partition. The motor-compressor 13 and its relay and protective thermostat in box 16, being mounted on the base 12 rather than the partition assembly 11, are shown outside the dot and dash enclosure. The electrical connections between the motor compressor 13 and other electrical components of the system are preferably made, as illustrated, through the terminal block 43 on the partition assembly 11. The two dampers 46 and 47, form- 'ing part of the partition assembly 11 are shown me chanically connected by means of dotted lines to the control 38.

Fig. 6 clearly shows that the majority of the electrical components of the air conditioning unit are carried by the partition assembly 11 and, being readily removable therewith, are easily repaired and replaced. Substantially all of the electrical wiring is carried on the partition assembly, which arrangement not only makes the unit easier to wire during manufacture but also facilitates testing and repair of the wiring.

In the event of failure of one of the several components of the air conditioning unit whereby it becomes necessary to repair or replace one of the components, the partition assembly 11 in accordance with this invention is readily removable from the unit. A unit in service will generally be mounted in a window casing in the manner indicated in Fig. 5 with the casing 52 thereof permanently attached to the window sill 58. The serviceman first removes the decorative front panel 55 from the unit, and slides the base 12 with the refrigerating system and partition assembly 11 horizontally out through the open front end of the housing 52 (to the right as With the interior of the unit thus exposed the partition assembly 11 is loosened from the base 12 by loosening the bolts at 33 and 34 and disconnecting control shafts 49 fromthe:controls;37--and:-3.8. The. electric connection between the components carried by the partition assembly ti, and the motor compressor wiring harness 56 is broken by separating connectors 57 carried by the ends of the wiring harness 56 'from'the terminal board 43. The partition assemblyll may then belifted from the base member 12 inithe manner illustrated in Fig. l.

The structural feature of removability of the .base 12 from an outer casing fixedly attached to a window structure is described in greater detail in Patent No. 2,335,- 627, granted November 30, 1943, to'E. R. Wolfert, and assigned to the asignee of the present invention. This construction possesses the advantage of permitting removal of the refrigerating system from the outer casing without disturbing the mounting connections between the casing and the window structure in which it is mounted. The adaptability of-the present invention to this structure can be readily appreciated. In accordance with this invention,the partition'assembly 11is removably carried by the base 12. No attachment means need be provided between the partition assembly 11 and the casing 52 because the partition assembly is carried entirely by the base 12. Hence, the partition assembly of this invention in no way interferes with the removal of the base 12 and the refrigerating system thereon from the casing 52 and the full benefits of the structure described in the aforementioned Patent No. 2,335,627 may be realized. Furthermore, when the base '12 has been removed from the outer, casing 52, the partition assembly is readily accessible and may be easily separated from the base 12 in the manner described above.

If the refrigerating system of the air conditioner has failed, this portion of the unit may, 'as-is generally done, be shipped back to the factory for reoperation, completely stripped of the air handling portions of the air conditioner and of the electrical components which are a part of the partition assembly 11. The expense of transporting and replacing the other electrical and air handling components of the unit is thereby avoided. If, on the other hand, one of the components carried by the partitionv assembly 11 has failed, this component may be replaced on the partition assembly 11 and tested prior to replacing the assembly '11 on the base member 12. This latter arrangement makes the components on the partition assembly 11 more readily accessible and thereby easier to repair or replace.

The removable partition assembly of this invention also renders the air conditioning unit more easily and economically produced. The partitionassembly'll, including the air handling components and substantially all of the electrical wiring for the apparatus, can be assembled and tested independentlyof the refrigerating system which generally requires checking and. testing by means of different and unrelated tests. Thesetwo major components thus may be processed simultaneously at different locations and subsequently assembled into a complete unit, thereby speeding their manufacture.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this invention provides an improved structural arrangement for air conditioning units, which arrangement simplifies and facilitates the manufacture and repair of such units.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially flat base member, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, a condenser and an evaporator mounted on said base member with the condenser and the evaporator adjacent, respectively, the back and front edges of the member, said base member and said refrigerating system forming a coherent structure capable :of being, processed and transported independently of theiremainderof the apparatus, a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said condenser and said evaporator, said partition assembly dividing the apparatus into a room air section containing said evaporator and an outside airsection containing said condenser, a blower mounted on the room air side of said partition assembly, a motor for said-blower mounted on the outside air side of said partition assembly with the shaft thereof extending through the partition assembly to said blower, said motor and blower being removable with said partition assembly as a unit,-said motor having an opposite shaft extension in said outside BiI SGQtiOIIKfOI' driving an outside air fan, and a casing 'for said apparatus, said casing being separable from .said base member and from said partition assembly to exposev saidpartition assembly forremoval.

2. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially flat base member, a refrigerating system including amotor-compressor, a condenser and an evaporator mounted on said base member with the condenser and the evaporator adjacent respectively the assembly removably mounted on said base member betweensaid condenser and said evaporator, said partition assembly dividing the apparatus into a room air section containingsaid evaporator and an outside air section containing said condenser, air propulsion means for each ofsaid sections,,electric motive means for said air propulsion means, means associated with said partition assembly and removable therewith for supporting said electric motive means on said partition assembly, electrical control means for saidmotor-compressor and said electric motive means, means associated with and removable with .said partition assembly forsupporting said control means on said partition assembly, whereby said partition assembly including said electric motive means and said control means is removable from said base member as a unit for independent processing andtransporting, and casing means providing an enclosure for said base mem ber, said refrigerating system and said partition assembly.

3. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially flat base member, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, a condenser and an evaporator mounted on .said base member with the condenser and evaporator adjacent, respectively, the back and front edges of the member, said base member and said refrigerating system forming a coherent structure capable of being processed and transported independently of the remainder of the apparatus, .a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said condenser and said evaporator, said partition assembly dividing'the apparatus into a room air section containing said-evaporator and an outside-air section containing said condenser, air propulsion means for each of said sections, an electric motor mounted on said partition assembly in such a manner as to be removable therewith, said motor being adapted to drive both of said air propulsion means, electric switching means for controlling energization of said motor-compressor and said motor, detachable electrical circuit connections between said switching means and said motor compressor, Whereby said partition assembly with said motor and said switching means may be removed as a unit from said base member, and removable casing means providing an enclosure for said refrigerating system and said partition and for permitting access and removal of said partition assembly from said base member.

4. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially flat base member, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, a condenser and an evaporator mounted on said base member with the condenser and-the evaporator adjacent, respectively, the back and front edges of the member, said base member "and said refrigerating system forming a coherent structure capable of being processed and transported independently of the remainder of the apparatus, a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said condenser and said evaporator, said partition assembly dividing the apparatus into a room air section containing said evaporator and an outside air section containing said condenser, air propulsion means for each of said sections, electric motive means for said air propulsion means, means for supporting said electric motive means on said partition assembly, said partition assembly having an opening therein providing communication between the room air and the outside air sections of the apparatus, a damper for controlling the flow of air through said opening, means carried by said partition assembly for controlling said air propulsion means and said damper, said electric motive means, said damper, said control means and said partition assembly being removable from said base member as a unit and a casing for said apparatus, said casing being separable from said base member and said partition assembly to expose said partition assembly for removal.

5. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a substantially fiat base member, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, a condenser and an evaporator mounted on said base member with the condenser and evaporator adjacent, respectively, the back and front edges of the member, said base member and said refrigerating system forming a coherent structure capable of being processed and transported independently of the remainder of the apparatus, a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said condenser and said evaporator, said partition assembly dividing the apparatus into a room air section containing said evaporator and an outside air section containing said condenser, means for circulating air through each of said sections, said last-named means comprising an electric motor mounted on said partition assembly, air propelling devices positioned in each of said air sections and driven by said motor, means supporting said air propelling devices on said partition assembly, said partition assembly having an opening therein providing communication be tween the room air and outside air sections of said apparatus, a damper carried by said partition assembly for controlling the flow of air through said opening, means carried by said partition for controlling said motor and said damper, said motor, said damper, said control means and said partition assembly being removable from said base member as a unit, and a casing for said apparatus,

' said casing being separable from said base member and said partition assembly to expose said partition assembly for removal. 1

6. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combina tion, a casing member having an opening in one end thereof, a flat base member, said base member being horizontally slidable into said casing member through the open end thereof, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, an evaporator and a condenser mounted on said base member with the evaporator and the condenser adjacent, respectively, the front and back edges of the base member, a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said evaporator and said condenser, said partition assembly cooperating with said base member and said casing member to divide said apparatus into a room air section containing said evaporator and an outside air section containing said condenser, air propulsion means carried by said partition assembly for circulating air through each of the said air sections of the apparatus, said partition assembly being unconnected to said casing member whereby said base member with the partition assembly thereon may he slidably removed from said casing member, and disconnectible means securing said partition assembly to said base member whereby said partition assembly, with said air propulsion means thereon, may be separated from said base member when the base member is out of said casing member.

7. Air conditioning apparatus comprising, in combination, a casing member having an opening in one end thereof, a flat base member, said base member being horizontally slidable into said casing member through the open end thereof, a refrigerating system including a motor-compressor, an evaporator and a condenser mounted on said base member with the evaporator and the condenser adjacent, respectively, the front and back edges of the base member, a partition assembly removably mounted on said base member between said evaporator and said condenser, said partition assembly cooperating with said base member and said casing member to divide said apparatus into a room air section containing said evaporator and an outside air section containing said condenser, air propulsion means carried by said partition assembly for circulating air through each of the said air sections of the apparatus, said partition assembly being removable from said casing member together with said base member, and disconnectible means securing said partition assembly to said base member whereby said partition assembly, with said air propulsion means thereon, may be separated from said base member when the base member is out of said casing member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,335,627 Wolfert Nov. 30, 1943 2,496,355 Peltier Feb. 7, 1950 2,600,316 Moore June 10, 1952 2,620,638 Grandinetti Dec. 7, 1952 2,736,176 Carlton Feb. 28, 1956 2,760,353 Kuhlenschmidt Aug. 28, 1956 2,769,320 Kuhlenschmidt et al Nov. 6, 1956 

